No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue

A letter dictated by Mahmoud Khalil over the phone from ICE detention in Louisiana.

Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a kidney transplant specialist and Brown University professor who had a valid visa, was expelled in apparent defiance of a court order.

'This is my way of pushing back,' one of the physicians said

It's still unclear the total number of grants, dollars and people affected, but the cuts could be a harbinger of what’s to come at other universities.

Mahmoud Khalil, who recently completed a graduate program at Columbia, has legal permanent residency, his lawyer said.